19,000 people evacuated or confined due to Madrid wildfires, official says
At least 19,000 people in the Madrid region have been evacuated or ordered to remain indoors due to wildfires that have become the worst in the region's history, regional president Isabel Diaz Ayuso said.
The fires in the densely populated area around the Spanish capital have burned around 6,000 hectares (15,000 acres), Ayuso told reporters.
She said that while an area of this size being burnt in other, more rural regions "would not be considered so significant", in Madrid "with such a high concentration of homes and people, it is a catastrophe".
Madrid wildfire is the 'worst' in the region's history, official says
📷 In Biscarosse, devastated buildings and charred trees
© Romain Perrocheau, AFP
- Hundreds flee French Cap Ferret peninsula by boat to escape wildfire
- France seeks EU civil protection mechanism for wildfires
- Spain declares state of emergency in Madrid region and another province
- Over 50,000 hectares burnt in France since January, Minister of Interior says
- In southwestern France, 53 houses destroyed, 35,000 people evacuated, fire not yet under control
- Two wildfires west of Madrid 'about to merge'
🎥 Spain declares wildfire emergency, 10,000 evacuated near Madrid
The Spanish government has declared a national emergency after a series of wildfires in the Madrid region and in the province of Avila, near the capital, late on Thursday. The measure aims to speed up the deployment of resources to fight the blazes, which have forced some 10,000 people in the region to evacuate.
According to Spanish authorities, "not enough has been done" by the government to contain and prevent these fires, which are no longer a temporary emergency.
FRANCE 24's correspondent Sarah Morris reports the latest from Madrid.
🎥 Why is France's Southwest so vulnerable to wildfires?
The Gironde region around Bordeaux is once again battling major wildfires, four years after a devastating blaze swept through the area.
A combination of high-risk factors, including vast forests of maritime pine, persistent drought and heavy tourist traffic, has made the region especially vulnerable to fast-moving fires.
EU deploys four planes to Spain, three to France to fight wildfires
The European Union has deployed four firefighting aircraft to Spain and three to France to help tackle multiple wildfires, a spokeswoman said.
"We obviously hope that all hell will not break loose but we are preparing for a severe situation," EU spokeswoman Anna-Kaisa Itkonen said.
🎥 Wildfires hound Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco
Deadly forest fires have been raging across Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia for more than a week, as an ongoing heatwave, dry conditions and strong winds fuel the flames and hamper firefighting efforts.
Firefighters across the region are struggling to contain the blazes, which have burned vast areas and forced evacuations.
FRANCE 24's Emily Boyle reports.
Two wildfires west of Madrid 'about to merge'
Two of three wildfires raging west of Madrid are "on the verge of merging" into a single blaze, the regional government's representative in Madrid said, warning that the fire was "out of control".
"Two fires, the one in San Martin and the one in Villa del Prado, are on the verge of merging and becoming a single blaze advancing towards Navas del Rey," Francisco Martin told reporters, adding that further villages in the area were being evacuated.
105 homes and buildings ‘affected by the flames’ or ‘even destroyed’ in France's Landes department wildfire
The forest fire that has been threatening Biscarrosse (Landes) since Thursday and had spread across 2,600 hectares by midday on Friday has caused significant damage, with 105 homes and buildings “affected by the flames” or “even destroyed”, said Prefect Gilles Clavel.
“The fire advanced into the town of Biscarrosse, affecting both industrial estates and, unfortunately, homes. Evacuation was therefore absolutely essential,” with 18,000 people evacuated from this seaside town and a further 5,000 from a neighbouring campsite in Parentis, added the government representative during a press briefing.
France seeks EU civil protection mechanism for wildfires
France has requested assistance from the European Union to help it deal with a major wildfire near the country's Atlantic coast, said President Emmanuel Macron.
"The situation remains extremely tense with the fires hitting our country, particularly in Gironde," wrote Macron on X.
"France has requested the activation of the European Union's civil protection mechanism. We will soon be able to count on reinforcements from two Croatian Canadair aircraft, two Portuguese Air Tractor planes, as well as two heavy Black Hawk helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia," he added.
In southwestern France, 53 houses destroyed, 35,000 people evacuated, fire not yet under control
Around 50 houses and a campsite have been destroyed by the fire, which has still not been brought under control and is threatening the Cap Ferret peninsula, where an evacuation order is in place, the Prefect of Gironde announced, adding that 35,000 people have been evacuated over the past two days.
“At midnight, this massive fire suddenly flared up; my priority is to protect lives and the local population, I have decided ... to evacuate Le Porge and Lège-Cap-Ferret,” Sophie Brocas told the press, also announcing preventive evacuations of the inland towns of Le Temple, Le Porge and Saumos, as well as Arès and Andernos around the Arcachon basin.
The authorities fear that winds will pick up on Friday afternoon, which could cause this fire – likely of accidental origin – to spread further. It has already consumed more than 10,000 hectares and is reviving fears of a repeat of the massive wildfires of summer 2022 in Gironde.
Top priority is avoiding 'convergence' of wildfires around Madrid, interior minister says
The main priority for firefighters tackling wildfires raging in villages around Madrid is to prevent the "convergence" of the blazes, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told reporters.
The authorities were dealing with an "unfavourable situation" due to strong wind gusts of more than 50 kilometres (30 miles) per hour, low humidity and high temperatures, he added during a visit to the emergency command centre in the village of Cenicientos.
Wildfire in southwestern France destroys 53 homes and campsite
🎥 France battles escalating wildfire crisis
Following intense wildfires earlier this week, authorities have ordered evacuations across the villages of Lège-Cap-Ferret, with more than 20,000 people already forced to flee. The situation remains critical, as at least 4,800 hectares have been consumed by the flames.
FRANCE 24's Caitlin Brown has more.
More than 430 evacuated from care homes due to Madrid blazes
More than 430 elderly people and people with disabilities were evacuated from five care facilities in the Madrid region due to the dangers from wildfires, the regional government said.
Television images showed Guardia Civil police officers wearing face masks helping elderly residents in wheelchairs board buses as care homes were evacuated.
The largest evacuation operation took place in San Martín de Valdeiglesias, with most of the 178 residents at the private Lopez Rumayor care home evacuated to the municipal sports hall, the regional government said in a statement.
🎥 Two major wildfires hit southwest France forcing tourists to evacuate
In France, where three heatwaves have hit since May, wildfires in the southwest have forced more than 20,000 people to evacuate.
Around 800 firefighters, backed by hundreds of gendarmes and soldiers, are battling the flames about 50 kilometres west of Bordeaux, as the crisis unfolds during the peak summer holiday season.
Among those evacuated are hundreds of tourists who had come to spend their holidays in the area. One of them, Dutch tourist Barry Pollack, joined FRANCE 24 to tell us more.
📷 Several Spanish provinces gripped by wildfires
Forest rangers take a break before resuming work on the fire near Condemios de Arriba, in the province of Guadalajara on July 22, 2026, after a wildfire ravaged tens of thousands of hectares, making it one of the largest wildfires Spain has experienced in recent years. © Manu Fernandez, AP
A wall of flames advances as a forest fire rages near Burgohondo, in the province of Ávila on July 23, 2026. © Mateo Lanzuela, Europa Press via AP
Climate change and extreme heat exacerbate drought in Europe
The blazes are breaking out faster because of climate change caused by the burning of oil, coal and gas. European droughts are now more severe, climatologists from the World Weather Attribution group said in a study published on Thursday.
Better weather in France's Var region, campsite evacuated in Corsica
Firefighters in the Var region in southeastern France are hoping for more favourable weather conditions to help them “contain and extinguish” the fire that has been burning for four days, but still consider it “too early” to “declare it under control”, whilst in Haute-Corse, a campsite has been evacuated as a precaution.
After a day marked by dozens of flare-ups fuelled by a strong mistral wind, the fire service experienced a much more favourable night, with a sea breeze that brought temperatures down and increased the relative humidity.
“These weather conditions have enabled us to carry out thorough, sustained work, which gives us much greater scope for action today,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Michel Audier during a press briefing in Pontevès.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
